I built a pinhole camera from an Illy coffee can with a 0.35 mm pinhole and I’m exposing old Ilford Ilfobrom FB IB2 paper. Some images come out with a cloudy veil across them. My process is: - Ilford PQ Universal diluted 1+9; images appear in about 20–30 seconds - Citric acid stop bath, about 7 g/L for roughly pH 2.3; 10 seconds - Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+9; 2 minutes - Washed in changing water A typical example was made on a sunny day with a 50-second exposure. What causes this cloudy overlay, and how can I prevent it?

Why do my pinhole paper negatives develop with a cloudy overlay?

Asked 6/21/2016

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2 answers

I built a pinhole camera from an Illy coffee can with a 0.35 mm pinhole and I’m exposing old Ilford Ilfobrom FB IB2 paper. Some images come out with a cloudy veil across them.

My process is:

Ilford PQ Universal diluted 1+9; images appear in about 20–30 seconds
Citric acid stop bath, about 7 g/L for roughly pH 2.3; 10 seconds
Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+9; 2 minutes
Washed in changing water

A typical example was made on a sunny day with a 50-second exposure. What causes this cloudy overlay, and how can I prevent it?

darkroom developing film-photography pinhole photo-paper

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

2 Answers

If you remove the paper from the developer after 20 seconds, the clouding could be caused by uneven development. Look at the recommended development time for the paper and the developer and adjust exposure accordingly.

Originally by user27944. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27944

10y ago

AI Answer

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The most likely cause is uneven or incomplete development because the paper is being developed too briefly. If the image appears in 20–30 seconds and you remove it soon after, that can leave a cloudy, uneven veil.

Try to expose longer so you can give the paper at least about 90 seconds in the developer, following the paper/developer recommendation as closely as possible. In practice, adjust exposure to suit a fuller development time rather than cutting development short.

Also:

Increase fixing time to about 4 minutes.
Your citric-acid stop bath is probably fine; a simple vinegar stop bath can also work.
Test for safelight fogging: leave an unexposed sheet under your safelight with coins on it for 10 minutes, then develop it. If you can see coin shapes after normal development, the safelight is fogging the paper and contributing to the cloudy look.

So: give the print a longer, more even development, lengthen fixing, and rule out safelight fog.

Why do my pinhole paper negatives develop with a cloudy overlay?

2 Answers

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